Who to buy a remanufactured engine from?

[MinnRanger]

I recently discovered that my 2002 Ranger is in need of an engine replacement. I received a quote from Fraser Engine And Transmissions for a remanufactured V6 4.0 for around $2600.00 give or take what options I want with it. This seems to be around the going rate so I’m not too concerned about a hundred bucks or so lower or higher, I’m more concerned with buying from a reputable source and also, what options I should go with... having the intake manifold already in place seems like a good one to start with.

It seems like there’s a lot of choices for who to buy from out there and even though most offer a warrantee, I don’t want to have to remove the new engine a second time to send it back under warrantee, so does anyone have recommendations on who to go with and who to shy away from when it comes to purchasing a remanufatured engine?

 

[Dirtman]

None of them. Find a local machine shop and have it rebuilt. Remanufactured engines are sketchy at best. A truly rebuilt engine from a decent machine shop will always be a smarter choice than a reman unit in the long run.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

As well it supports local jobs.

 

[MinnRanger]

I know of two reliable machine shops in Minneapolis and they both told me they wouldn't work on it.. one only works on older vehicles and the other said the V6 4.0 was too much hassle. Everyone else is asking nearly twice the price to do the job and I have the same questions about their reliability as I do with the people who are selling the already rebuilt engines... so the question still stands. Has anyone found a reliable place to buy a used engine?

 

[Dirtman]

A machine shop that says a 4.0 "is too much hassle" is not a reliable machine shop. What's their idea of not a hassle?

 

[rusty ol ranger]

I know of two reliable machine shops in Minneapolis and they both told me they wouldn't work on it.. one only works on older vehicles and the other said the V6 4.0 was too much hassle. Everyone else is asking nearly twice the price to do the job and I have the same questions about their reliability as I do with the people who are selling the already rebuilt engines... so the question still stands. Has anyone found a reliable place to buy a used engine?

Honestly....id try to find one in a junkyard. Most places will pull it for you and youll be alot cheaper, just make sure to hear it run first and buy from one thats wrecked (means theres a good chance it was in service and not there because of mechanical failure.).

www.car-part.com.

Also, what makes you think yours in junk?

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I'm not sure. I think its a coin toss. I would lean to the one that is closest, at least one you can talk to face to face if you have to.

I know of two reliable machine shops in Minneapolis and they both told me they wouldn't work on it.. one only works on older vehicles and the other said the V6 4.0 was too much hassle. Everyone else is asking nearly twice the price to do the job and I have the same questions about their reliability as I do with the people who are selling the already rebuilt engines... so the question still stands. Has anyone found a reliable place to buy a used engine?

 

[G8orFord]

Machining wise, a 4.0 SOHC isn't much different from any other engine, so I don't understand their issue. As far as a rebuild goes, the dual cams are a little finicky to set but not something that's incredibly difficult with the proper tools. Other than that, it's pretty much like any other V6.

FWIW, I rebuilt mine. I had the block decked and bored and the heads milled. The only moving parts that weren't replaced with new parts are the crankshaft, rods and jackshaft. All in, I was probably getting close to the $2600 you're taking about for a reman, but I did all the rebuilding myself. For all intents and purposes, I have a brand new engine and I know exactly how it was built and the quality of the parts and work that went into it.

 

[07nhbpsi]

Honestly....id try to find one in a junkyard. Most places will pull it for you and youll be alot cheaper, just make sure to hear it run first and buy from one thats wrecked (means theres a good chance it was in service and not there because of mechanical failure.).

www.car-part.com.

Also, what makes you think yours in junk?

What Rusty has said....or a Ford reman motor, that’s gonna be the best rebuilt motor available IMHO ..I could’ve sworn I’ve seen reman Ford 4.0 online for $3400.00 shop around, I can tell u Do Not get one from Marshall, as they suck had 1 & never ever again

 

[19Walt93]

Who ever you buy it from, check the details of the warranty first to make sure you won't have to pay for a tear down and repair estimate if there's a problem. Ask what they're going to pay for the repair/replacement, if they pay peanuts you'll get work done by monkeys. Jasper products are to be avoided. A Ford reman might cost more but we had excellent luck with them. If your engine is a 4.0 SOHC you could find a low mile used one as late as a 2011, you'd likely have to switch over the externals.

 

[Uncle Gump]

So... when did Jasper remans go so wrong?

I've used them several times and never felt cheated or their work was shotty...

 

[Dirtman]

So... when did Jasper remans go so wrong?

About 15 years ago...

It's usually not a good sign when a google search of a company's name just brings up a bunch of pages of Better Business Bureau complaints.

 

[Uncle Gump]

Well my results haven't reflected that...

Have you ever bought a Jasper reman?

 

[Dirtman]

Several. 20+ years ago they were decent. Last 2 I had experience with (back in the early 2000's) were absolute nightmares. I never dealt with them again until recently a guy brought me a jasper engine to install in a commander. I told him I would install it but absolutely will not deal with anything that goes wrong with this thing and once it leaves it's his problem. Made a clearly written receipt stating that. It's only been a few months but I'm patiently waiting for a phone call that it cracked a head so I can laugh and hang up...

 

[Snoranger]

In the 6+ years I’ve been at my job, we’ve installed 8 Jasper motors, 2 Jasper transmissions, 17 Ford reman engines, and 4 Ford transmissions. We’ve had issues with 7 of the 8 Jasper engine and 1 of the 2 transmissions split the case in half.... the one engine that we didn’t have a problem with: the frame rotted out and the truck went to auction.